View full sizeMichael DeMocker, The Times-PicayuneNew Orleans Police Superintendent Ronal Serpas was photographed Wednesday at a news conference at the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau.

About 60 percent of the respondents reported they were generally satisfied with the department. That's up 10 percentage points from the August 2010 survey and up 27 percentage points from the August 2009 survey.

Officials noted that a target satisfaction rate for a major police department is 70 percent.

Police Superintendent Ronal Serpas said the survey shows the agency's "efforts to build and solidify" a partnership with citizens is working. The survey results also showed double-digit percentage-point gains in citizens' views about police attitude and behavior and officer cooperation with the public.

Though there were recent gains, only 45 percent of the respondents said they were pleased with the NOPD's honesty and integrity. And 47 percent said they were satisfied with the city's rate of violent crime.

Serpas said he was pleased with the findings.

"This survey shows that the old, tarnished reputation of the NOPD is on its way out," he said. "But we know we still have work to do."

The survey comes at a period of volatility for the NOPD. Serpas, the new chief, has been in office for nine months. The U.S. Department of Justice is poised to release a critical assessment of the agency, the first step toward a federal consent decree that will mandate reform within the department.

Meanwhile, murders this year have been occurring at a rate significantly higher than in recent years. In addition, several federal trials are on tap in the next few months for current and former NOPD officers charged with civil rights crimes.

The survey showed bright spots in the categories of officer courteousness, officer cooperation and overall citizen satisfaction with the department, according to Michael Cowan, chairman of the crime coalition, which paid for the research.

Among other questions, respondents were asked whether they were satisfied with the performance of the police district in their neighborhood.

Seven of the eight police districts reported boosts in satisfaction. The NOPD's 1st, 3rd, and 8th districts all showed significant increases. The exception was the NOPD's 5th District, where respondents reported a drop in satisfaction of 8 percentage points.

The survey, consisting of 34 questions, was taken by about 76 people in each of the city's eight police districts during a two-day period. Both the 2009 and 2010 surveys were conducted at the end of August and the same sampling procedures were used, Cowan said.

Sixty percent of those surveyed were African-American, while 31 percent were white and 4 percent described themselves as Hispanic, mirroring the city's demographic mix.

The survey was tilted greatly toward respondents who were educated, with 56 percent having a college degree or higher and 20 percent saying they have completed some college. According to the most recent census data, about 29 percent of New Orleanians have a college degree.

The survey also gives equal weight to the eight NOPD districts, even though they vary in size, demographics and populations, meaning that the responses of those in smaller districts, such as the 8th, essentially receive greater weight.